Rose
by veritaserumkills
Summary: The birth of Rose Weasley, as told from Harry's POV. Oneshot. Just fluffy, fun stuff.


Disclaimer: None of it is mine :( If I was J.K. Rowling, I'd be writing this for real, not on here.

Just some fluffy, light hearted stuff for fun.

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><p>Harry Potter uncrossed his legs and recrossed them, his left leg now topping the other, and stared down at his lap with a sigh. He had never really been one for crossword puzzles; that was more of Hermione's expertise. Even Ginny was better at them than he was, often giving him hints or looking over his shoulder at breakfast to point out an answer he had been missing for a good ten minutes.<p>

_Minister for Magic appointed in 1811_

Harry supposed this would be easier if he'd bothered to take notes in History of Magic all those years ago at Hogwarts. Or if Hermione and Ginny were here to give him clues. But, as he never was fond of Professor Binns's lectures, Ginny was at home with James and their newest bundle, Albus, and Hermione was-

Harry glanced down at his watch impatiently. Yet another hour had passed, and he still had no idea what was going on with Hermione. He uncrossed and recrossed his legs once more, the right back over the left, and looked up. Mr. Weasley was examining the vending machines a few feet away, wondering aloud why St. Mungo's hadn't thought to invest in such a contraption and what good it would do them if they had. Teddy and Victoire giggled at him as he studied it, the latter quieting him whenever he got too loud, telling him he was making a bit of a scene.

"...and Grand mummy is going mad already, Papa. Don't give her an excuse to start yelling again..." Harry overheard Victoire say and smiled to himself for the first time since earlier in the afternoon. He looked back at his watch and groaned, running a hand through his hair. Already 8:11 p.m. It seemed as though a year had passed since he'd come running into the hospital at 10:36 that morning. A decade since he'd sat down to lunch with Bill and George at 3:27. A lifetime since he'd seen Ron, paler and more irritated than ever, at 5:03...

"Alright, Harry?" said George, taking the empty seat on his left. "You've been awfully quiet for the past, what has it been now?" he asked, grabbing Harry's wrist to examine his watch. "Blimey. Three hours." He shook his head. "Wonder what's taking so long."

Harry was silent for a minute. "She's okay, right? I mean, it's Hermione. She's strong. She's...you don't think..."

Bill patted him on the back from the right. "I'm sure Hermione's more than fine. These things take time."

"Besides," George whispered, glancing furtively up and down the hall before continuing, "Mum would've sniffed it out by now, if anything had gone wrong. She's been a mess all afternoon." He shook his head. "If it were me, I'd have waited until after to tell her. You'd think all those times Ron was here, in our shoes, he'd have remembered what a fuss she makes and saved us some-"

_B__AM_.

George stopped talking and everyone looked up at the right end of the hall expectantly, where a nurse had just flung the door open. She smiled at the family and walked the other way, stopping at a coffee machine.

It got quiet again for a few more minutes. Harry tried to concentrate on the puzzle again and failed dismally, only to be distracted from the ill-fated scenarios his mind kept playing by Teddy.

"Uncle Harry, will you take me and Victoire down to the bathrooms?" he asked politely. Harry couldn't say no. Teddy and Victoire were the youngest ones who had wanted to brave the hospital today, and they had been so well behaved. But what if, just as he left-

"I'll take you," Bill volunteered, standing. "I'm sure Ron would rather Harry be here when he comes out than me. Let's make this quick."

Harry smiled his appreciation and looked ahead, finding himself facing Mr. Granger, who was looking up for the first time in hours. Unlike his wife, who had been chattering and pacing with Mrs. Weasley at the left end of the corridor for hours on end, he had barely spoken a word since Harry had arrived hours earlier.

"I'm going to nap," he told Harry and George as he slouched in his arm chair. "If no one's shown up in an hour, boys, wake me. It's taking all my strength not to go and strangle all the nurses right about now..."

If he hadn't said that, Harry wouldn't have known that Mr. Granger was anything but calm. He had even gone as far as to calm Mrs. Weasley and his wife whenever they were nearing hysterics. Harry was actually glad Mr. Granger had said such a thing. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Granger had kept their emotions in check so far, but Harry couldn't help but relate more with their wives. If it had been one of his sons back there, and he was getting no word, he'd have been back there yelling for answers hours ago. In fact, he was having trouble not doing just that at the moment. Knowing he wasn't the only one relaxed and unnerved him at the same time. Was something terribly wrong?

Just as Bill reappeared at the end of the hall with Teddy and Victoire in tow, the door on the right burst open again and a familiar head of ginger hair popped out.

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked, attacking him at the vending machine, followed closely by Mrs. Granger.

"How's my baby?" she asked frantically.

"Is it done?"

"How'd she come through?"

"You haven't just been sitting in there for hours, have you?"

"ENOUGH!" Ron bellowed, causing the other two families in the room to look over briefly in a mixture of concern and curiosity. He grabbed his snack from the vending machine. "I'll be back when I have news-Mum, get off-I've got to get back-"

And sooner than he had appeared, he had vanished behind the door again. Harry sighed and leaned back in his seat, rubbing his eyes while Mr. Weasley held back his wife, slowly convincing her that going back there after their son would be a horrible idea. Harry had half a mind to encourage her and lead the way into the ward.

It was only 8:30. It was the first time he had seen his best friend in three and a half hours, and he hadn't been much help in calming anyone's nerves. Mr. Granger looked more annoyed than ever. Mrs. Granger was muttering to herself in the seat next to him, occasionally shaking her head and closing her eyes, hand to her mouth. Teddy and Victoire were lying on a couch, one on each cushion, trying to get as comfortable as possible without falling asleep. George stood and stretched, yawning, before he mumbled something about coffee as he staggered away. By the time he returned, Mrs. Weasley was pacing again, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Granger were promising each other they'd corner the next nurse that appeared, Mrs. Granger was staring into space, head on her husband's shoulder, and Bill was standing against the wall next to her, watching his daughter and Teddy dozing off and waking each other back up. George, reenergized by his drink, saw this as a worth while cause and approached their sofa with a pocket full of Muggle games to entertain them with.

No one stirred for a good ten minutes or so, until they all jumped at the tinkling of Harry's ringtone.

"Er, sorry," he mumbled quickly, coming out of a daze and checking the caller I.D. "It's Ginny. Just a mo-hello?"

He hurried out of the waiting room to the deserted corridor with the coffee machine. "You could cut the tension with a knife, Gin. You're lucky you're missing it."

"Am I?" Ginny said quietly from the receiver.

"Speak up," Harry urged. "You're not the one in a hospital waiting room."

"No, but I just got Al to sleep, finally," she sighed. "And if I'm not careful, James will be up in a minute, and then he'll be begging to see the baby again. How Mum did it with seven, I'll never know. So it's not over yet? What's the last you heard?" He told her about Ron appearing earlier and being ambushed by the family. "He could have least told them everything was alright-" Ginny began.

"Unless it's not," Harry cut her off.

"Don't," Ginny hissed. "Don't you dare, Harry James Potter. Everything is fine. Hermione is doing well, I'm sure of it."

"He looked exhausted. And that's being polite."

"I can't begin to imagine," Ginny said sarcastically. She then added, in her usual voice, "I miss you. Come home soon."

"When it's over. Did you tell the boys good night from me?"

"Of course. I don't think Al really cared. But James was sad you weren't there to tuck him in. So you owe him an extra story tomorrow."

"Fair enough. Well, I'm gonna let you go. I don't want to miss anything."

"Call me when you find out more. I love you."

Harry smiled to himself. All these years, and he was still feeling butterflies when he so much as thought of Ginny. "I love you, too."

Judging by the atmosphere when he returned to the waiting room, nothing had changed. Teddy and Victoire were much more awake, thanks to George, and Mrs. Weasley was a lot calmer. Whenever the door to the ward opened, everyone would glance back at it hopefully, only to return to their thoughts. Occasionally they would shoot each other supportive smiles or worried expressions. It was getting later and later, and Harry still hadn't seen Hermione, and the times he had seen Ron hadn't been worth much except to tell them that nothing was wrong-yet.

At a quarter to ten, a doctor approached one of the other families, who collapsed in tears, giggles, and hugs. Mr. Granger started to say something as he passed by, but before he could even get a word out, the doctor said, "I'll send someone out as soon as I can, Steve." Mr. Granger sat back in his seat, defeated, clutching his wife's hand. Mrs. Weasley let out a small sob and Mr. Weasley wrapped his arm around her.

"It's been hours. I just want to see my son."

"He'll be out before long, Molly."

"He hasn't said a word to us for hours-"

"If there were anything to say, he'd have come out and said it, Mum," Bill said calmly.

Mrs. Granger sighed loudly and sat up, a hand on each temple. "This is killing me. This wait, it's too much. I just want to-Ronald! What's going on?"

Everyone jumped up at the site of Ron, standing in front of them all looking quite blankly at Mrs. Granger, almost as startled by her outburst as the rest of them were by his sudden appearance.

"Oh, Ron!" Mrs. Weasley cried, hugging him around the neck. "How is everything? We haven't seen you in hours, I thought something-"

"Harry," Ron said suddenly. Everyone hushed and looked round at the Boy Who Lived, who was slightly surprised to be singled out at the moment. He looked up at Ron, who looked the worst Harry had ever seen him, which was saying a lot. He sounded very serious, and his expression didn't help matters. Everyone was tensing, Harry could feel it.

"Harry, I..." Ron faltered. "I...she...will you come back with me?"

Harry nodded and hopped out of his seat. "Of course."

Mrs. Granger hopped up in a fury. "But, Ronald, my daughter-"

"Fine, she's fine," Ron said off-handedly, waving a hand in her direction, already leading Harry back through the door on the right and into the ward. Harry followed nervously, turn after turn, neither of them speaking, afraid of what he was going to see or hear in the next few minutes. Every door they passed was filled with noise. Screams echoed in some, others filled with laughter and cheery voices. He could hear several voices shrilly crying out in the distance, all of them getting louder as they walked on.

Suddenly, Ron fell back so that he and Harry could walk side by side. When he'd caught up, Harry looked at him for the first time all day-really looked at him, really saw him. His face was the palest he'd ever seen it. There were bags under his eyes, hair sticking up in every direction, his blue eyes blank. And then he chuckled.

"It's been a long day."

Harry nodded. "I can't say I disagree. And I don't think your mum would, either."

Ron looked over at him, smiling for the first time in what felt like ages. "Sorry about that. You know, you should have seen her when James was coming along."

Harry shook his head. "Payback, then?"

Ron laughed. And then, quite suddenly, he began to cry. It started with a single tear, and then more kept coming. He wiped them from his cheeks, but didn't bother trying to hide it from Harry. For a moment, Harry became very afraid. Had his fears been right? Was there something wrong with Hermione? Was there something wrong with-no, he didn't want to think about that. It couldn't be.

"Ron, are you alright? Is something-?"

"Sorry, Harry," Ron said thickly, wiping away the last of the tears. "Merlin, it's been a crazy day. I just-I mean-I can't…Harry."

And then came a moment Harry knew he would never forget for the rest of his life. It would become one of Ron's finest moments in his mind.

Ron stopped and turned to look at his best friend, eyes swimming in tears, the biggest grin imaginable on his face.

"Harry, I'm a dad."

Harry's grin soon matched Ron's. "Congratulations, mate." He couldn't believe it. It seemed that just yesterday, he, Ron, and Hermione were knocking out trolls and sneaking into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to brew polyjuice potion. Now, his best friends had a baby. The joy he felt came third only to his wedding day and his sons' births. After years of watching and waiting for Ron and Hermione to finally get together, here they were, bringing someone else into the world.

Ron wiped another tear from his eye. "Don't tell George. He'll never let it go if he hears I cried."

"George cried, too," Harry said. "He won't hold it against you."

"Yes, but George had to cry for two people," Ron pointed out. "If I could change one thing about today...well, all the same, I have a reputation to protect," he laughed, and Harry joined in.

"So, do I get to meet the little guy? He's my godson, after all," Harry said with excitement. Ron frowned slightly. "What, you've chosen someone else? It's not a big deal, I still want to-"

"No, no," Ron said quickly, walking again. "It's not that. Of course we want you to be the godfather. Who else would we pick? No, it's just-" He laughed. "Well, you'll see," he added as he stopped and opened the door on his right. "Hey, you two, I've brought a visitor."

Harry couldn't help but notice the slight shakiness in Ron's voice and wondered if he was crying again. But he didn't get to find out, because his eyes were soon distracted by one of the most beautiful scenes he had ever witnessed. Hermione looked up and smiled happily at Harry. He didn't think he'd ever seen her so happy and relaxed. Her bushy hair was pulled back into a kind of messy half-ponytail and she was lying back against a huge pile of fluffy white pillows. There was a tiny bundle in her arms, and he noticed a little fist lying against her gown, gripping it as a source of comfort. Hermione was absolutely beaming.

"Harry," she said softly. The combination of ecstasy and exhaustion in her voice was odd to hear, but elating at the same time.

"Hermione," he said, walking closer, imitating her smile. "And do you care to introduce me to-" He stopped, noticing the bundle was wrapped in a soft shade of pink. _"A girl?"_ He looked at Ron, whose smile was even wider now, if that were possible. "You've had a girl? I thought-"

"I know, mate," Ron cried. "They say they make mistakes predicting that junk all the time, but...well, just look at her. She's _perfect_."

Harry looked again, this time at the tiny face pressed against its mother. He noticed Hermione's button nose and lips; then Ron's long fingers and bright red hair. She yawned, stretching her little fists into the air, released her fingers just long enough to stretch them out and then balled them back into fists; she rested one against her cheek and grabbed at her mother again with the other.

"She's beautiful," Harry said finally. He didn't know what else he could say. It was the only thing he was thinking. Ron and Hermione had produced the most beautiful Weasley girl yet, and there was no question in Harry's mind that she would easily be his favorite niece.

Ron came around and scooped her up in his arms, watching her yawn and stretch the way some people watched sunsets and rain storms.

"Rose Helena Weasley," Hermione said. Harry looked at her. "That's the name we've decided. We weren't sure when they first told us she was a girl, because we had only looked at boy names. But as soon as we saw her," she glanced back at her husband, who was whispering away to baby Rose. "It just made sense. Something in my head said, 'she looks like Rose', and so that's what it was."

"It suits her," Harry said. He watched Ron hold his baby girl. He was telling her all sorts of things so softly that he couldn't hear, but he remembered doing the same to both James and Albus when they were born. He told them all his dreams for them, about their namesakes, how much he loved them…

"Ron, you should let Harry hold her," Hermione said. "She's his god daughter, after all."

"Oh…right." Ron walked around to the other side of the bed and cautiously handed Rose to Harry. "Careful, now. Make sure you've got her head-"

"Oh, for heaven's sakes, Ron," Hermione sighed. "Harry knows how to hold a baby." However, she watched tensely until she was sure Rose was safe in his arms. Ron sat on the bed and put his arm around Hermione as he watched Harry with the eyes of a hawk.

Harry held the baby gently and watched her in wonder. She looked so much like Hermione, with bits of Ron here and there. Rose suddenly let out a little cry and the trio tensed, but she yawned again and snuggled closer to her godfather. Harry glanced at Ron, who was still watching carefully, anticipating that she would cry again. "You guys did a fantastic job," Harry said. "She's beautiful."

Ron smiled softly, still not taking his eyes off his daughter. "Oh, Harry, you're too sweet," Hermione said.

"No, he's right," Ron said. "She really is perfect, Hermione, admit it."

Hermione grinned in spite of herself. "Don't get too arrogant, Love. She is, though. She's absolutely perfect."

"Here, do you want her?" Harry asked, offering Rose back to Ron. "I know you're dying to get her back."

Ron simply grinned. "I can't help it. She's my baby."

"_Our_ baby," Hermione corrected.

"_Our_ baby." Ron leaned down and kissed his wife. Harry busied himself with Rose to avoid feeling like he was intruding. "What are you crying for?"

"I'm not crying," Hermione whimpered. "I'm just so happy. We have the most beautiful daughter. Oh my gosh, _we have a daughter_." Harry and Ron laughed. "It's strange, isn't it? We've known each other for nearly fifteen years now. We met when we were eleven, and now we're parents. Oh, Ron, I couldn't have done any of this without you. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Ron said softly.

"And Harry," Hermione said, turning her attention to him. "Harry, I love you. You're my best friend. And you've done so much. I'm so proud of you. And you're here. The fact that you're here means so much. I couldn't have asked for anything more. I'm just so lucky." She finally broke down into full blown tears. "And I'm a mess."

"You're a beautiful mess," Ron told her as he stole Rose back from Harry. "Here, take Rose. You can't possibly cry when you're holding her."

Hermione shook her head. "No, no, I'll be alright. Why don't you take her to see the family? I'm sure they're anxious to see her. Oh, what did they say when you told them? Did they like her name?"

"Er." Ron looked at Hermione timidly. "I didn't tell them her name. I didn't really tell them much of anything."

"_What?"_ Hermione shrieked. "Ron, you have to go out there. I bet they're all worried sick. And you know how your mother gets, plus my mum. Go, take her out there," Hermione insisted. "I can't believe you didn't say anything. Just give me a minute to collect myself."

"Alright, alright," Ron relented. "I just didn't want them to come bombard you when you're exhausted. Excuse me for thinking of you."

Hermione kissed Ron and then Rose before the former stood with the latter still in his arms. Harry hugged Hermione and congratulated her again before following Ron out of the room.

"I mean it, Ron," Harry said as they walked back through the corridor. "She's the most beautiful of the Weasleys so far. I've already decided she's my favorite niece."

Ron chuckled. "I reckon she's prettier than Victoire was." Harry agreed; he had never been one for blonde hair. "She looks like Hermione, don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah, she's got loads of Hermione in her. I'm glad she has your hair, though. It suits her."

"Hmm. Yeah, I suppose it does." They stopped in front of the last door between them and their family. "Well, this is it," Ron said cheerily. "Are you ready to meet your family, Rosie?"

Rose latched onto Ron's shirt with her tiny hand. Harry thought his grin might break his face.

Ron nodded and Harry opened the door to a restless group of Weasleys and Grangers. Ron stepped out, ready to show his daughter off to the world. The family gasped and clapped at the site of Rose.

"Were they wrong?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Did you have a girl after all?"

"Oh, she looks just like Hermione," Mrs. Granger cried.

"She's beautiful, Ron," Mr. Weasley said. He then whispered, "Probably the prettiest yet."

Mr. Granger wiped the corner of his eye. "What do you know," he said. "I've got a granddaughter. When did I get so old?" Victoire and Teddy laughed as they peered over the blanket to see the baby's tiny face.

"Hey, back up," George said. "Now, who've you got here, Ron?"

"Well, everyone," Ron said proudly. "This is Rose Weasley."

"Awww," Victoire cried happily. "What a beautiful name. She was worth the wait, Uncle Ron."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Victoire."

Bill smiled when he finally saw his newest niece. "Wow, she really looks like Hermione. She's got the Weasley hair, though," he chuckled. "Everyone will know she's one of us."

"What do you think, Teddy?" Harry asked his godson, who was particularly quiet. He continued to watch little Rose, completely transfixed.

"I think," Teddy said slowly. "I think that she is the closest I'm ever going to get to a little sister. And I couldn't have asked for better. Look at her, Uncle Harry, she's perfect."

"Hear that, Rosie?" Ron hummed. "It's not just me who thinks so."

"It's true," Harry told his niece. Suddenly, Rose opened her eyes and looked around. The room was silent until her bright blue eyes finally settled on Ron. He smiled brightly at his newborn daughter. She returned it before she closed her eyes, leaving them all completely lost in her. Ron continued to smile.

"You, Rose Weasley, are absolutely perfect."

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><p>AN: I know smiling at Ron is a bit advanced for Rose at the newborn level; we'll chalk it up to how extremely magical she is, as is her relationship with Ron (or so I imagine).

Reviews are appreciated :) This was just an idea I had that I wanted to do for fun. Hope you enjoyed it.


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